Before meditation, loosen the clothing and undo the belt. Take your seat in an easy and natural way. The body should be erect and the seat stable. The spine should not be stiffly straight nor should it be bent. The shoulders should be level, the waist extended, and all the muscles of the body relaxed. Now cross the legs, place the two hands one upon the other and rest them on top of the legs. Shake the body a few times from left to right in order to allow each part to be relaxed and natural.

Text taken from the book Cheng Man-Ch’ing’s Advanced T’ai-Chi Form Instructions by Douglas Wile

Before meditating, open the mouth and expel a few breaths of stale air from the abdomen. The tongue lightly sticks to the hard palate with the lips and teeth lightly touching. Slowly inhale through the nostrils while imagining that each breath reaches all the way to the abdomen. Then once again exhale from the abdomen, and one will naturally achieve a state of calmness.

Text taken from the book Cheng Man-Ch’ing’s Advanced T’ai-Chi Form Instructions by Douglas Wile

Most peoples thoughts are random and confused. Early on in learning to meditate, people experience an increase in random thoughts as they enter a state of stillness. The more one thinks the futher afield one’s thoughts run. The mind is like a monkey, and one’s thoughts like horses. It is most difficult to control. One must become indifferent to fame and fortune and put everything aside. The mind should focus on the abdomen, and the two eyes, slightly withdrawn, gaze down from the bridge of the nose to the abdomen. At the same time, use the technique of breath counting, and gradually one will be able to avoid confused thinking and eliminate all random thoughts.

Text taken from the book Cheng Man-Ch’ing’s Advanced T’ai-Chi Form Instructions by Douglas Wile